WWE News: Mike Kanellis talks about addiction, recovery and rebirth

What’s the story?

Mike Kanellis recently spoke to Renee Young and opened up about his addiction to prescription drugs, recovery and rebirth.

Kanellis recalled how he hid his addiction from his friends and family for about 3-4 years, before finally coming out in the open to seek help. He also extended a helping hand to anyone going through similar issues.

In case you didn’t know…

Mike Kanellis suffered a knee injury four years ago, dislocating his kneecap. Additionally, the veteran pro-wrestler also performed with a broken rib on the Japanese circuit.

However, in the months that followed, the painkiller medication which helped ease the pain and compete in the ring, eventually led to his addiction; owing to the fact that as time passed, the doctors prescribed him an increasingly heavy dosage of meds.

The heart of the matter

Speaking to Renee Young, Mike Kanellis revisited the knee injury and subsequent rib injury that slowly and deceptively drew him to the dark world of painkiller addiction. His wife, Maria, also chimed in and said:

“People, they have this idea of what an ‘addict’ looks like; an addict looks like the scary person that’s in a movie, and I think that surprised people a lot. It surprised my own family!”

“When my family saw him after he had told me that he had this problem, they looked at him like ‘you don’t look like anything’s wrong’.”

Furthermore, Mike Kanellis asserted that he came out with his addiction in order to create awareness and help other people who suffer from the ailment. He said that he wanted to educate them about the fact that this addiction can grasp anyone irrespective of how strong they are, and there are ways to battle said addiction.

What’s next?

The couple recently announced that Maria is expecting a baby. As for Mike’s WWE career, he currently seems to be a fixture in the mid-card on SmackDown Live.

Author’s take

My hat is off to Mike Kanellis for coming out with their struggles during his battle with addiction.

Here’s hoping Mike continues to stay sober and goes on to achieve tremendous success in the sport. Aren’t you inspired by the Kanellis’ story? Feel the Power of Love and sound off in the comments!

---

Send us news tips at [email protected]